I thought of that too as i was watching the ep...It bothered me that a parent could let their child be gone for that long without bothering to call or find out where they were... But thinking back to the interactions between Danny, Rikki, and Rueben, it seemed to be that they had been close for a while, and it could have been that Danny and Rueben were often out hanging out and were pretty good buddies. Letting a person who lived in her building in New York city take her son out at 7:30am and not have any qualms about it led me to believe that Rikki did in fact trust him completely with her child, and that maybe she just assumed that her boy was safe with her neighbor, and perhaps Danny was spending the day with him like he had before. That's just my opinion....but i do think that if Rikki did believe this was the case, she would have called to double check with Danny, or believed that he would call and let her know what they were up too. Then again, Danny never has had children or been a parent, and from the evidence seems to have been given free reign as a youngster, or at least had absent parents, so might not have known to call Rikki immeadiatly if the plans had changed to make sure she knew where her child was...unfortunately, his actions in regards to caring for a child are partway what caused the tragic event =[
I'm on the no side. I'm just going to give my thoughts on points given because more than one quote box starts making me anxious Sure he shouldn't have let the kid get ahead of him, but it was only to the corner. Completely in eyesight. When Danny saw Rueben he didn't think he was shot, he wanted him out of a potentially dangerous situation. When he told Rueben to get home Danny had no idea if there was another shooter, if the bodega owner was shot or dead or how many victims there were. He thought Rueben was fine but scared and would make it home, he had no reason to think Rueben wouldn't. It's conflicting, get Rueben out of danger and secure the scene. He has to do both. As far not calling? Yeah he deserves a smack on the back of the head for that, but it's Danny and not surprising. I don't blame him for getting lost in a case after little sleep. Maybe I feel this way because I have a baby brother just about the same age as Reuben. I understand somewhat the relationship Danny and Reuben probably had. Because Reuben would not have knocked on the door of some baby sitter he didn't enjoy hanging with even if he needed to get his bike blessed. Danny's the fun guy, the father figure who doesn't dish out the punishments. And I relate even though I'm the big sister. I pick up my baby brother though, and he walks all over me and Reuben did exactly what my brother would do. Decide just to the corner was boring and mess with Danny. I don't know it just seemed that it was a normal thing for Reuben to be riding his bike on a crowded sidewalk (this was just a block and a half from where they lived) and Danny timing him. Now Danny probably should have realized that 10 year old boys are brats and that Reuben probably wasn't gonna stop at the corner. But I don't think there's any blame to be placed. Other than on the robber. Lucy made a stupid decision, she shouldn't have shot at him, but... someones robbing me and my brothers laying on the floor all bloody. I just might shoot at them too.
Wow, lots of discussion about this point...it's got me wondering. I am enjoying reading all the differing opinion on the topic. I am kind of on the fence regarding Danny's responsibility. He is such an instinctual character, and of course, that gets him in to trouble. It got him in trouble in On the Job, and it does again here...but you can really see the progression in the character from OtJ to now, in that Danny really focused on the details of the event, and he listened to those around him, not just jumping to a conclusion and driving it home till it died...that being said... I don't think there was any reason for Danny to believe that Ruben was hurt, and probably thought that being a block and a half away from home, the kid could find his way okay...Danny seemed to trust that, and went with it. Kids will test limits - not just with their parents, and Ruben did just that: pushing to see how much fun he could have with Danny. Danny had a choice to make, and I agree with Mac that it wasn't the wrong choice...wasn't necessarily the right choice either...but the character will have to live with that. The unfortunate catch 22 to leaving your kid with someone who serves teh public is just that...they have a duty to serve the public. Danny took an oath as a police officer - we all know he has pride in his work, so I don't think that ethically/professionally/or personally, he would have abandoned the scene of a crime in progress...Just like I have a duty as a nurse, to serve the public, I can't abandon the scene of an accident or a person in need of first aid - it is professional/ethically and personally irresponsible, and I know that...what I would have done with a child in my care is made sure that to the best of my ability, that child was safe beforehand...and I think Danny did that. I am hopeful that the emotional ramifications from Danny's obvious feelings of guilt will flow into the next few episodes, as he tries to deal with it all. I do believe he should have called to check in and make sure Ruben got home safe...and if mum Rikki was as worried as she says...why did she not call to check in as well? Even if Danny just took him to the park after or for somethin to eat...why not call and be sure
The more I think about it, the more I think "no." Danny answered his cell phone because he probably thought it was work, that he was being summoned to a crime scene. Ruben was ten not two, he knew he wasn't supposed to ride too far ahead and yet he took off around the corner anyway. He was old enough to understand the rules, if he had just stayed at Danny's side like he was supposed to, he wouldn't have gotten shot.(Now I'm going to catch heat for blaming a kid.) Danny thought Ruben was all right because he looked all right. Heck, if I hadn't read the spoilers I would have thought he was okay too. Danny wanted to get Ruben out of the danger zone, that's why he told him to go home. That sister seemed a bit too hysterical to be calling 911. That big time leap was confusing though. I know it's December so it gets dark at like five o'clock but that's still a big gap.
I really think that it was ostly just bad luck. Ruben did not appear to be hurt when Danny told him to go home, and the man in the store was bleeding. Dnny is also a cop and he had to help him. I agree that he still should've called Ruben's mother to make sure that he got hom safely, and maybe keeping a closer eye on him would have prevented his death, but who knows? The sister in the shop was the one who fired a gun into a crowded street. As for letting Ruben ride ahead of him, ten year olds are known for not doing what they're told. I am not a parent myself, but I have had to babysit my younger brouther on many occasions. I found that if they are told to do something by somebody other then a parent, it can be hard to make them listen to you if they don't see why you're telling them to do something. I doubt that anybody could have predicted the shooting is any case. Danny will most likely blame himself, anyway.
Excellent posts, guys, I've really enjoyed reading them all. I think I'm on the fence as well. While I think Danny was responsible for Ruben before and after the shooting, his death was caused by the bullet, and Danny isn't responsible for that. It was all a series of tiny actions and choices that led up to Ruben being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So getting shot wasn't Danny's fault IMO. However, the before and after part is definitely on Danny's shoulders, and more than anything I regret that Ruben died alone. Being shot by a stray bullet and dying was bad enough, but for his mother (and Danny) to know that he took his last breaths alone in an alley would be hard to bear. I don't think Rikki shoulders any responsibility for what happened to Ruben, but you can bet she'll blame herself anyway--if only she'd gone with them, if only she'd taken Ruben instead, if only if only if only. Hindsight is always 20/20.
I definitely agree that Danny isn't responsible for Ruben getting shot. Kids run ahead and do stuff like that all the time, and Danny was keeping an eye on him and got off the phone pretty quickly. But I do think he should have made sure Ruben got home safely. That child was his responsibility, and he should have walked with him to the apartment and not just told him to go back home on his own. Yes, he was 10 and not 2, but 10 year old kids can be kidnapped, hit by cars, etc.--awful things can happen to them. Ruben was still a little kid. Danny failed him, and while I imagine it's tearing Danny up inside, he made a pretty huge mistake--and it had the worst consequences possible. No, Danny didn't know Ruben had been shot, but he should have made sure Ruben got home okay--if he had, he would have realized Ruben had been hit, and Ruben might be alive. Maybe not, but at least he would have had a chance. I don't blame Rikki either. Danny was someone she trusted, so letting her son go off with him wasn't any failing on her part as a parent. As others have said, it was a good thing--Danny is a responsible, good, nice guy--a good father figure/male role model for Ruben. As for Danny not being a parent--yeah, I get that. I mean, I can see why he took the cell phone call. I might have, too. But that still doesn't excuse sending off the kid to ride home on his own--that's a common sense thing, and though Danny has shown himself to lack that sometimes, that was a pretty big error in judgment.
I voted NO and I have a question. What if it was Rikki that had been with Ruben and she had let him take off ahead of her, thus him getting shot anyway. Would anybody be blaming her? Would anybody even be thinking it was her fault at all? I have to agree with dutch_treat. The only person responsible for Ruben's death was that stupid girl who fired the gun. I have kids and I know for a fact that you can't keep them strapped to your side 24/7. I personally don't see anything wrong with Danny letting a 10 year old boy who was very familiar with that neighborhood, ride ahead of him. I also think Danny did the right thing by telling Ruben to go straight home. Danny didn't know if more shots would be fired. Would it have been better for Danny to have put himself in the line of fire by going to Ruben? It made more sense to send Ruben home. My kids stay with friends quite a bit and that means they are in the care of others but seriously, if something like that happened, the last thing I'd do would blame them. If it was something that was done intentionally, yes I'd be mad but accidents happen. This was just a tragic accident and Danny will blame himself probably for the rest of his life anyway. He certainly doesn't need everybody else blaming him too. I also don't think Rikki blames him. If she did, I don't think she'd be anywhere near Danny. I bet if she came face to face with the girl who killed him, she'd certainly be blaming her. From my POV, Danny didn't do anything I wouldn't have done for my 10 year old.
Ok, so I asked my mom. Me: Do you think Danny's responsible for Ruben's death in the episode last night? Mom: No, it wasn't his fault at all. Ruben asked him to take him to get his bike blessed, it wasn't Danny's fault that the girl shot the gun when they were on the way back [etc, etc] Then I brought up the arguments in here, about him sending Ruben home and whatnot, and she continued to say that he wasn't responsible. So I said, Me: Well, what if it was Emily (my little sister) and you sent her somewhere with a guy that you trusted and something happened to her? Mom: Oh yeah, I'd blame him big time. Me: So he's not responsible but you'd blame him? Mom: Well, on the show is one thing, but real life is totally different. Yeah, Mom didn't help much because, you know, we're trying to think in terms of this being 'real' for Danny. I don't know why that was really relevant, but it made me chuckle, so I had to share.
By that logic, if Rikki had been there and told her son to run, he'd still have ended up on Sid's table and she would be just as responsible yet, somehow I don't think anyone would dare blame her for what happened. In fact if any parent had been in Danny's shoes, walking their child home, no one would have anything but sympathy for them, and we'd be grossly appalled to hear someone say "you should have had that kid on a tighter leash." You're right you shouldn't have to worry but finding fault with the good intentions and actions of those who are trying to help, to peg them as irresponsible, is pretty much scapegoating a much bigger social problem. I fail to see how anyone can be laid with the blame for such a random act of violence except those carelessly wielding firearms. In any case when someone discharges a firearm unsafely they are the sole cause of ANY harm that comes to anyone from that bullet, passer by or not. To lay the blame for that on anyone else, especially those trying to intervene is pretty unfounded to me. Even if Danny had run after Ruben, ignored the scene and just waited for someone else on duty to show up, people would be blaming him for being a cop on the scene and not fulfilling his civic duty. As horrible as it is, bad things can happen, even to children, no matter HOW responsible their guardians are. We can't control everyone around us. I couldn't agree more. If Ruben wasn't aware he was hurt until it was far too late, how was Danny EVER supposed to know? Whether Danny was in that Bodega or walking Ruben home the boy wasn't gonna make it.
^^Excellent post, roxi. Shooting at someone who robs you at gunpoint--if those guns hadn't been involved, Ruben wouldn't have died, no matter how Danny was acting at the time. Haha, and you would know.
Okay, I was one of those who accidentally voted Yes. :lol: That's what I get for not checking the selected option properly before clicking the button. Fantastic discussion here! It's given me much food for thought. This is one situation where there is no one right answer. Heck, if you think about it, there is no answer at all, period. The senselessness of it is what makes it so painful and difficult to deal with, particularly for Danny. It seems no matter how he would have dealt with the situation, he was f***ed anyway. The only thing that disturbs me is that Danny didn't bother calling Rikki up ASAP to check on Ruben. That would have been the logical thing to do. To simply assume that Ruben got home safely was bad, and how long does it take to make a phone call? If he had the time to listen to a phone call while watching over an active 10-year-old boy, he'd have the time to dial a number and call Rikki once things calmed down. Poor Danny. He's going to need a really strong shoulder to lean on this time.
My vote was a no. Danny had a responsiblity as a cop to help those in need. The guy at the bodega was injured so it became priority. Also, Danny obviously had confidence in Ruben that he would be able to get home safely (But then again..the NY that he knew has probably changed since then..) and Ruben was shot at the scene...He didn't feel it. Then he continued down the alley and died It was sad, but I don't think that it was his fault.